Saturday, February 01, 2014

Seven Quick Takes #10

Last weekend, a sweet friend of mine posted a picture of a homemade waffle, fresh out of the waffle-maker. So fresh off the waffle press it was actually still on the waffle press!
And my first thought was, "Wow! You can eat carbs?!?!?!?!?!!"

My second thought was, I have become Emily, from The Devil Wears Prada who is upset that Andy is going to Paris Fashion Week in her place, getting all the fabulous designer clothes... after all, she says, "You don't deserve them, I mean you eat carbs, for Chrissake!"Yes, that is what Paleo has done to me!

I think I finally have enough clothes for the winter season. She says as lent approaches, and spring closely follows.
Sheesh, what is it about me that has two closets full of clothes, yet I have nothing to wear?
I'm trying really hard to cull my wardrobe. It's hard for me to get rid of anything because I don't buy it unless I like it in the first place - so why would I get rid of it?
My real problem is that I tend to buy individual pieces, then struggle to make outfits out of them.

So as much as I have told myself to quit buying clothes woman, you need to save money! It's always just this one thing to complete this one outfit.
That and the fact that I struggle with finding jackets and blazers that fit without a ton of alterations... so when I found two jackets that accommodated what must be my freakishly enormous shoulders, but still fit around the rest of me that is considered by most to be quite small... I was compelled to buy them since they were only $25 and $15 each! The problem is, that set me off on finding a top to wear under the houndstooth jacket. And the problem with shopping for one thing is you find other things. Vicious cycle.

Anyway - now I feel my cold weather wardrobe is complete now that's February. May the sweet baby Jesus help me when it's time to rotate to the spring/summer wardrobe!

Speaking of wardrobe... a friend had a clothing swap party a couple weeks ago. We all cleaned out our closets, then brought our goodies to her house and picked whatever we liked. Anything left over was going to a local thrift shop. What a great idea! It was fun too.

Even better, I was able to get a few new-to-me items, that when I brought them home - miraculously went with several things I already had. Completing a few more outfits, or at least, giving some other items more play in the rotation.
If culling my closet was supposed to be the goal, then I failed. If it's being happier with what I have, I succeeded!
The real bonus was being able to try some looks that you wouldn't normally invest in, but if you're getting it for free, you'll give it a go.

A conversation with my bestie gave her a chance to unload some concerns about just how she's fulfilling the roles of wife and mother. She had a rough couple of days. I told her that the fact that she's working on repairing the damage is proof that she's doing it right.

I know, as a woman without a husband or family, that it's easy for me to picture sunshine and rainbows - and even though I know that's not so - I'd still rather have a rough day as a wife than a mediocre day alone. I shared that thought with her, waiting for the kind of correction I get from most marrieds... the old "Marriage is hard" refrain. (as if being single For. Ever. is some piece of cake!) Instead, she replied, "I know what you mean. I was single for a long time. I would never want to do it again. Being single is definitely harder than being married."

A couple days later, another friend who has been married just over three years - reinforced that message. First by saying that she thinks I'm handling an extended period of waiting better than she ever handled hers, and hers was shorter - and mine just keeps extending!! When I told her what my bestie said, she agreed, she would never ever choose to go back to being single.

I guess there's no real conclusion for that thought. Just stating real facts.

I am SO single.
Visiting a friend for dinner, she got out a jar of pickles she canned herself, for us munch on until dinner was ready. She opened the sealed jar, slid it across the counter to me and just as I went to fish out a pickle with my fingers, she handed me a fork! Wow! A fork to get a pickle out of a jar? How fancy!
Oh no, I wasn't using my fingers, I um, slipped, yeah I slipped.

Yeah, living alone for a lot of years will drain you of common decency I guess!

How is it we can stay in touch with friends who live across the country, but someone who lives on the other side of the city falls completely off the radar?

A sweet friend just had a birthday, and asked me to join her and some friends out for dinner and live music. Once we met up, we had a great time. She even pointed that we have that great quality where even though much time passes, the minute we're together, it's as though no time passed at all.
Those are the BEST friendships. When you can pick up right where you left off.
I have many friends like that, and it is one of the greatest blessings on this earth.
Now we just have to make an effort to get together more often!

5 comments:

I agree those types of friendships are the best, being able to pick up where you left off. So many times people take the falling out of contact personally, when the majority of the time it isn't. It's just life.

It's really nice to hear someone that knows acknowledge how hard it is to be single. Not that life is awful, but it's very difficult sometimes. I know marriage is difficult, too, but I've yet to find someone that wants to trade their tough days of being married for being single (of course, this assumes normal, non-abusive relationships).

And kudos to them for not getting married and suddenly having amnesia about what it's like to be single! I don't know why so many people get married for one or two months and then suddenly think it's okay to spout the same platitudes to me that they HATED before they married their significant other. Really? You don't remember how not okay it is to say that stuff?

@mutt... Exactly! The marriage amnesia is the worst. What I have noticed is that my friends who were single the longest.. Into late 30s, would never EVER succumb to marriage amnesia. But that's because most fanciful, fairy tale romantic everything is beepaten out of us by then, thanks to the unavoidable jawing process! These are the women who didn't have bridesmaids or any silly fanfare at their wedding. They were there to get married before God and that's it!